Plans for the outdoor pond are going well, I'm going to catch up on a lot of reading this week while caring for my hubby post-surgery (minor procedure).
I found out that a local farm store sells 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock waterers for under $200. Unfortunately, they are out of stock for at least another week. I'm thinking of purchasing one when they are back in stock as well as a filtration system suitable for 800 gallons. Our finished basement (concrete floor) is well suited as a space to have a quarantine pond, so I'm thinking of setting the whole thing up this winter, purchasing a few small koi, and keeping them there until the outdoor "full sized" 3,800 gallon pond is complete. The basement does have windows and I could place the tank under a ceiling-mounted grow-lite so the fish would receive several hours per day of stronger light. The basement has a heating vent and stays fairly warm on its own - about 60-70 degrees year-round without much fluctuation. I would wait to purchase the filtration system until AFTER I have the stock waterer, which could be a few weeks based on when the shipment arrrives.
Would there be any down side to this plan? I know that a 300 gallon "pond" is much too small for full sized koi, but it should be fine for a maximum 8 months for a few (3 or 4) 4-6" koi, right? Following that, I would use it for my quarantine pond for new fish. Do places sell koi year-round or is this plan doomed to failure?
I'm so anxious to have something and think this set-up would really help hubby and I avoid major cabin fever come February. I floated the idea past my husband and he was very excited.
Opinions?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Quarantine pond in basement - opinions?
It sounds very good. Three hundred gallons will hold quite a few small koi. Give them something to hide under, like a small koi castle. They'll be less stressed until they acclimate. You can also put it in the big pond when it's done. My big koi use theirs all the time This link has a couple of different kinds. They are widely available from multiple sources on the net. I envy you. I'd love to have a tub full of koi in my basement for the winter. You might as well set youself up a couple of chairs and a small table for the coffee cups. You'll be down there a lot.
http://www.azponds.com/pond_accessories.htm
That is a great idea. Make sure you have your filtration system in place and running before you introduce your koi. You should also have something like a small waterfall or gentle fountain to ensure adequate oxygenation of the water. Get just a few fish to start so it can "cycle" and toxin buildup will not harm your fish. Starting inside in the winter will help your fish get to know you and it will not be long at all before you literally have them eating out of your hand. I agree with what Snapple said about getting comfy, you will be spending a LOT of time there just because these fish are so enjoyable to watch and they will enjoy spending time with you as well.
Just be careful. I tried to overwinter water plants in my garden room and the humidity got crazy high.
We have a dehumidifier that runs almost all the time in the basement, just to keep humidity in check in general. I think I will cover 3/4 of the surface with plexiglass to limit evaporation as well.
I'm glad you guys don't think this idea is completely nuts! Hubby actually wants to get pavers and "landscape" indoors around the stock waterer but I think that is going a little overboard.
I will have the filtration system completely set-up and will probably buy 2-3 goldfish to "jump start" it before adding koi. When the big pond is done, the goldfish can move outside to jump start that. Hubby keeps urging me not to buy a bunch of fancy koi right away, but with all the horror stories I've read on here about goldfish multiplying like crazy, I'm really hesitant! I figure if I have only a very few, maybe the goldfish population will be easier to control.
Elizabeth
I had a lot of medical issues with my koi and had them in my 75 gallon stock tank. I had to replace the water and clean it out every two days. Eventually I bought more holding containers and spread the fish out with only a few in each tank. Even with just a few small fish (2-3 koi at 3 inches/each) the tank would get dirty pretty quickly. I had an oversized Fluval filter on the tank and a UV light and bubblers but the fish pooped a lot . . . If you can get more than 300 gallons in your holding tank I would suggest you go for it. 300 gallons is a lot more than 75 gallons though! Be conservative with your fish numbers but remember that they are social fish and need at least three to be a school. Being in a school is less stressful for them. BTW: you can make your own Koi castles out of 3-4 " drainage piping from a Menards or Home Depot. I have a 12 inch piece in my pond held in place with rocks (it floats) that the fish swim in and out of. Even a piece of filter filtration floating on top of the tank would make them feel safer. I floated a blow raft in my pond this summer to let them hide from herons and the hot sun. These are cheaper options.
I would not keep the goldfish and koi in the same pond on a permanent basis. They will interbreed and I can tell you from experience gained this year you will be unhappy with the result. 'Course the koi are not supposed to spawn until they are at least three years old. But goldfish spawn like rabbits while very young.
Koi grow fast so you don't have to purchase 4-6" fish. The smaller fish are cheaper and will grow over the winter inside.
Your set up sounds good. I had a 150 gal stock tank in my basement last year for the babies and the first night 4 jumped out because my water level was too high.
This year I have 3 babies in a 50 gal fish tank in the house....that's all I could catch so far.
There are quite a few more that will have to stay in the pond til spring.
I agree with tetleytuna...skip the gold fish unless you can find a home for them later.
Good thought crazy4brugs I forgot I had two small koi jump out of a tank, you might try putting window screen over the part not covered. I was amazed how high they could jump. I happened to see mine so they survived.
Three gold fish will become 30 in one season. Please don't go there! Instead buy some extra filter material ( any kind) and tuck it into a corner of the indoor tub. It will colonize with the good bacteria. In the spring move the bag to the big pond. There's your start up bacteria. If you want to add some small fish to start the big pond consider either Sarassa comets or better yet, Shubunkins. They're hardy and don't reproduce nearly as prolifically.
I just found two sunfish in my pond! The only ways they could have gotten got there is as a deliberate 'gift' from a neighbor or fish eggs on a heron's feet!!! It's taken me a week to identify them. Now what the heck!
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Lepomis%20cyanellus
Will extra filter material work? Can I just buy beneficial bacteria to add to the water, run the pump and wait a few weeks? It is possible for me to find something larger than 300 gallons, I need to call around and see what kind of waterers are available locally (finally living in a farming state is paying off!!!) but the issue would be getting it down the narrow (hand-rail-less) stairs into the basement, by myself. A really nice feature on the 300 gallon Rubbermaid is that it has a bottom drain - I think I can hook a hose up to the bottom, so when water changing is needed I can just turn it on and VOILA - bottom drain!
Believe me, I don't want goldfish! Hubby is pushing for something "cheap" to start with that would be hard to kill, until the water is established. Maybe I can buy just one Shubunkin - I mean, people can buy one fish at a time, right? If it dies, I could replace it. If it lives for a month, I can then buy some koi. I do plan on also having a few placos - are they enough to establish beneficial bacteria?
I'm definitely going to have netting over the tank - we have four legged pets and I don't want to risk the chance of one of them drowning. I've also read that koi like to jump and it would be painful to find one of them dead next to the pond.
I found a place in California that ships koi year-round - yeah! I saw that ebay also lists fish - anyone have any experience purchasing fish from ebay? Where do you guys buy your fish?
Sunfish in the pond - too odd! Maybe another "gift" - to go with the turtle!!!
Yes, extra filter material will definitely work. Also any fish that poops will work. You absolutely need fish waste to get the pond nitrogen cycle working. Bacteria alone won't. Bacteria needs fish waste ( ammonia ) to process. Ammonia in the water kills fish. Quick!Bacteria breaks down the ammonia into less toxic forms. First into nitrites which are still toxic, but if you keep the salt level at .01 the fish don't take it up. Then nitrates are produced. Plants use nitrates as food. Nitrates are far less toxic and are easily managed, usually by small additions of freshwater. Each phase of the cycle uses a different strain of bacteria. When your bacteria are present in sufficient quantities to process the fish waste load in the pond such that you get 0 ammonia reading and 0 nitrites and less than 10 ppm for nitrates, your pond is "in balance". The holy grail of cycling the pond. Usually about 4-6 weeks if starting without any bacteria and just fish. Get some beneficial bacteria from an already cycled pond ( your tub in this case) and you can considerably shorten the process.
Just wondering if you really need a 300 gal tank? They do make smaller ones that you could use and it would be easier to get down the stairs. They also have bottom drains.
I bought a pond today! Well, one of those pre-formed pond liners. I was on an errand and thought I would stop at Menard's (hardware store similar to Lowe's or Home Depot) to see if they had any liners on sale. Well, they had one "Key Largo" model, 270 gallons, left - the display model that was mounted about 20' up in the garden section, discounted to $119 (earlier in the season it was around $275 I think). It is 270 gallons and for the most part flat bottomed. I paid for it and will pick it up tomorrow, I was in a rush and they told me it would take about an hour to get it down so I said don't worry I'll be in around opening tomorrow. It will not quite hold a full 270 gallons because of the two holes drilled for chains that are about two inches from the rim. I thought it was a really great deal - it is kind of kidney shaped. Here is a link to the exact one: http://www.4littlepets.com/keylargoniagara270gallons.aspx
It is 91" x 72" x 18", so it will take some maneuvering to get into the basement but it is definitely do-able. I will use bungee cords around the outside to hold the net in place and will also have a plexi-glass cover over most of it to reduce evaporation.
I'm so excited!
Hubby's surgery went really well - I was actually on a "get dinner" mission when I stopped at Menard's. When I got home I told him about the liner and he was really excited, he told me that was the one he was lusting after all summer!
Now I need to find a filtration system! Off to surf the internet...
Elizabeth
Sounds like it was meant to be!
This will be a lot of fun.
Sounds like fun-something for your husband to think about other than his surgery. What pump are you thinking about? A lot of pond store are having sales right now in my area. Up to 40% off at one store by my home. I picked up a few extras . . . LOL!
Winter is a great time to pick up pond supplies for the next year. Even internet sellers run really good clearances. I've already stocked up on de-chlorinator and String Algae Buster for next season. Next I'll be looking for filter mat material ( I cut my own - big money saver). I should look for sales on replacement UV light bulbs too, but they are a lot harder to find on markdown. I like to use MicrobeliftPL. There should be some markdowns somewhere on that too. You have to watch shipping costs though. They can sure wipe out any so called "sale".
Well, I got my orders in! I purchased most of my water conditioning supplies (dechlorinator, ammonia reducer, etc.) from Petco, which was about 75% off. I purchased several bottles of dechlorinator, as well as two of Mela-Fix, some pond salt, and an aerator. The rest of the items I ordered online. From AZ Ponds I purchased the Laguna Pressure-Flo 1400 filter & pump combo, 3/4" tubing and clamps, a large Koi Castle, and some other things I can't remember right now (even though I placed the order only 30 minutes ago...sigh). I know the 1400 is probably a lot more filtration than I need but everything I read told me to go big or go home with koi filtration. I wanted something with both UV and biological filtration, and that seemed to be the smallest size that offers both. AZ Ponds had free shipping on the filter & pump and 5% off on the entire order for a fall special. From Drs. Foster & Smith I ordered a few artificial floating plants (lilies and lily pads), bio-booster and a 3-outlet GCFI. I opted for 2 day shipping from DFS.
Okay...I know this is placing cart before the horse...but I also purchased 5 3" koi from Petco Friday (yesterday) afternoon. I already had the water set-up and test strips showed that the water was "perfect". After I bought my water supplies on Thursday (I had filled up the pool the day before and put netting over it), I added them to the water and tested it after 2 hours. Everything tested out "perfect". So...I figured 5 little koi and 1 placo could not do too much damage in there before my filtration system arrives. I bought an aerator kit to keep the water moving. I know, I know, I should have waited until after I had the filter going. The fish were just SO good looking and I figured at $6.99 each (with a 15 day stay-alive warranty), they should be fine until filtration is up and going. Everything should arrive within a few days and I'm going to feed them sparingly until the filter is set up. They were really happy to be out of that 75 gallon pet store tank. I justified the purchase by telling myself it was "koi rescue" - they were all new to the store, as I was in there Monday and they were not there. There were about 15 of them Thursday when I went in to buy the water conditioning stuff (it was hubby's first outing after his surgery). Hubby, painkillers and all, convinced me to get the water set up FIRST, then buy the fish on Friday if I get perfect testing results.
The five little ones are quite feisty but also skittish. I figure a few days of acclimation (and their Koi Kastle) will make them happy. They even ate a few tiny pieces of food this morning. I sat and watched them for almost an hour last night, they are really personable!!! One, the Kohaku/Sanke (can't tell, looks like he has sumi coming in part of the red), is really bold. At first, I thought he was in a bit of shock, as he didn't hang out with the other fish, then I realized he was already looking for chow - after 5 minutes of being in the pond! I realize these guys are definitely not going to be prize winners (hubby's words were "Wow, you can really tell the difference between these koi and the expensive ones from the online koi dealers") but they are endearing nonetheless.
There is the Kohaku/Sanke, a Hariwake, one that looks like a Yamabuki Ogon, and two that I can't even begin to try to figure out what/if there is an actually classification. They are both gray bodied with black marks - one has an orange/dark yellow head and the other has a hi splash on its shoulders. If a true koi aficionado saw them, they would probably tell me "These fish should have been culled!" LOL!
Growing up, my dad was always very big on saltwater fish - we had saltwater tanks for 10+ years until one day we just didn't - I think my mom had enough of spending money on saltwater fish. I called my dad yesterday to tell him about the koi. Of course, I should have assumed he was a semi-expert on the topic. He immediately told me, "Don't waste any more time and space on American fish. Find a good dealer and buy only Japanese fish for your outdoor pond when it is complete and find homes for the fish you bought after they serve as your canaries." Provided that the pet store koi survive until the outdoor pond is completed, I think at that point they've earned the right to stay : )
Elizabeth
edited for spelling
This message was edited Nov 8, 2008 2:28 PM
Elizabeth you officially have gone off the deep end!!!! We have all been there and understand your craziness but be careful about too many fish too soon. Your pump needs time to "catch" up with the koi. Feed the fish little or nothing until your supplies comes. Did you add any salt to you pond? If you haven't already done so get some salt for a water softener that is 98.9% pure or better without chemical additives and add a small amount to give your fish a less stressful aclimation period. Don't waste money on expensive salts specifically for koi. Also, if you feel tempted to add additional fish you must quaranteen them for a few weeks (trust me-I had a lot of fish death and illness this past summer-my first summer).
It's nice to relive my memories of my crazy, first days of koi purchasing with your purchases . . . Please take your time so that you don't get in over your head. To me, whether the fish are expensive or free they are all the same-living creatures which I quickly got attached to. It was heart wrenching when they got sick and died. It took but a few days for me to name mine and to determine who was the biggest food mooch, the shyest, the wildest and so on.
Have fun and keep on posting!!!
Mothermole, I did buy the "fancy" pond salt - it was one of the deeply discounted things at the pet store! I think a carton (that is what it is packed in, like a milk carton) was $3. That was added (and dissipated) before the fish came home. I also added Mela-Fix to the water and de-chlor (which also claims to do a million other things, reduce ammonia, etc.).
I promise, I'm not going to add any more koi until I have the big pond up and running. The "Fabulous Five" (hubby calls them the "koi boys", although I'm sure a few are female) were all in the same tank (even the placo was in the same tank) and my thinking was that if 1 or 2 die, then there would still be a few to have a school. They definitely want their koi castle to come in the mail - I'm trying to bug them as little as possible so I don't stress them out until they have someplace to hide. Right now I have a half dozen 6' thin bamboo poles crossing the top and a few bungee cords to keep the netting in place, but I think they want something more secure feeling. I ordered a fake lily pad trio and a few extra water lily fake leaves to float on top. Hopefully between the fake floating plants and koi castle they can start to feel more secure. I have not actually named any of them, except the Kohaku, which I'm calling "Poppy the Fish" because he seems the dimmest of the bunch, much like my husband's cat Poppy.
Now I'm not in such a huge rush for the big pond, which is good because the more I read the more I change my mind on what I want and how to build it. Maybe these guys will grow like mad and I'll have to be back in rush mode!
I will feed them minimally until the filtration system arrives - they don't like to eat in front of me. I tried to feed them twice today but they did not most of the food in their second feeding so I hand picked the pieces out of the water after 10 minutes.
Elizabeth
"Slow down you move too fast" (do you remember those lyrics from a song I think called "Feeling Groovy" from the 1960-70's??? Don't spend money buying fancy stuff for them to hide under. Stick any floating toy or blow up raft in the tank. Even a piece of stuffing foam from a fabric store will work. Even a large bowl propped upside down on top of two other objects will be a nice hide out for the fish-just prop it high enough for them to swim underneath it. I typically throw a fabric end from a sewing project on top of my net to cover about 50-75% of the top. All the fish will then stay under that area and it would keep them protected from sunlight (mine was outside). It was cheap and easy and worked for me.
The thing is SAVE as much money now because there will be a time (a lot of times actually) when you will wish you had more money saved for some very important fish item like vacuums or really expensive but gorgeous lotus plants that you just HAVE to have. . . Or some medicine to save your little fish and it costs $100.00 for the first treatment and you need three treatments for each fish (see how fast it gets spent ? . . .) As much fun and pleasure the pond and fish are, I learned that they are extremely expensive and that is even if everything is going well (no sick fish).
Elizabeth, I enjoy your excitement! When are you going to post pictures of the Fab Five and your set-up?
MM (aka Linda)
6 weeks ic - six weeks. You and your finny brood will be all settled in. They will be feeling safer. You will have a routine established. You will know about how often the filter will need cleaning. You will know about how much they eat per feeding. You might even be able to hand feed some of them by then. You will know your usual pH and nitrite reading.The filter will have come in by then and there will be no ammonia or nitrite readings. (You might want to get a small bottle of Ammo Lock now and keep it on hand just in case you do get an ammonia spike while waiting for the bacteria to build in the filter.) I'll bet you spend a lot of time mesmerized in that basement watching the greatest stress reliever there is.
I spent an hour sitting on the ledge behind the pond today watching the koi boys! It took about ten minutes for the Fab Five to "forget" that I was there (and I cast no shadow into the water), then they went about their merry business. I couldn't believe how peaceful it was to watch them. I told my hubby later on, "Even after we get the outdoor pond set up, I think I will always have a few indoor basement koi!" It will be so much fun to watch them grow. Especially now that it is cold outside and there is not much to do (other than more raking), it is nice to have some connection with the outdoor world.
I tried to take pictures but they all came out blurry, so no pictures yet of the koi boys. Tomorrow I return to work so the next chance I will get to take pictures during daylight will be next Saturday.
I read somewhere that Ammo Lock neutralizes the ammonia but that it is does not change the reading (ammonia levels would still appear off). The dechlorinator I purchased also neutralizes nitrates, nitrites and ammonia (it claims) and I have a ton of that (two big bottles, to treat about 2,000 gallons).
They are so much fun!
Elizabeth
As to the ammo lock: the test result can be skewed if the wrong type test kit is used. Yes you can still have high ammonia readings. AmmoLock puts the ammonia in a form that cant harm the fish, but it's still in the water. The thing to remember is that ammo lock will tie up more ppm per gal than standard dechlorinator that contains an ammonia reducer. A big ammonia spike can easily overwhelm the dechlorinator/ammonia product. It's a safety net. Ammonia can burn the fish's gills in a big hurry. It's not something you want to wait to treat . The best treatment is a dose of AmmoLock followed by an immediate partial water change. But hey, 5 small koi in 270 gallons should'nt be a huge problem, especially if you feed sparingly. Over feeding will cause a ton of water quality problems.
Boy, I envy you. My koi pond will be shut down completely probably Friday and it's a long cold winter. I do have an indoor 75 gal tropical planted tank. It's fun, but not the same.
The fab five are doing well - I have all five named: Poppy (probably Sanke), Piggy (gray body with lots of black on back and a red head), Lil' Bit (smallest of the bunch - gray body with about 1/2 as much black as Piggy and a bright red spot on his back behind the shoulders, Claire (Orenji ogon?), and Katrina (probably Hariwake). I have no idea what sex any of them might actually be, but those names seem to suit them.
I added about 20 gallons of fresh water today (dechlorinated of course - I tested each 5-gallon bucket before I added it to the pond). The water level dropped about an inch since I put it in last Thursday, the air is now really dry in the house. So, I figured it was time to add some water.
My filtration system should be here on Thursday - I am so excited!
I don't know if my behavior with water is "risky" or not but I just add the hose and add dechlorinator generously directly to the pond or the quaranteen tank. I have "well" water so there isn't any flouride. My fish have never shown signs of my method being harmful (they will gasp at the waterfall or the top of the water trying to get more oxygen. I kinda do the same with the "good bacteria". But never with medicines. It's my understanding that both can't harm the fish if overdosed. I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts on that (other than wasting money . . .).
I did a partial water change (took out about 25%) last night. After I siphoned out the water, I added water one 5-gallon bucket at a time. I have city water, so I added the dechlor/de-ammoina/de-nitrate/nitrite stuff when each bucket was half-full to disperse it as the bucket filled with water. Then, I added each bucket to the 270 gallon quarantine pond. The stuff I use says it works instantly and is not harmful if over-used (i.e. I cannot overdose the fish!). I added a few buckets of water, waited a few minutes, tested the water, then added a few more buckets and kept that up. I did one final water test after I had the water a few inches from the top, about half an hour after I stopped adding water. One bucket at a time is fine for the 270 gallon indoor pond, but it would take a week to use that method for the nearly 4,000 gallon outdoor pond we're planning for 2009.
For the outdoor pond, I plan on buying a 300-gallon Rubbermaid stock waterer and keeping that near the pond, probably behind a screen of some sort (since they are kind of ugly). Then, I can add the dechlor and meds (if needed) to the waterer, run a hose from the waterer's drain to the pond, and add water that way. It is an added step, I know, but I don't trust my city water supply enough to go directly from the hose to the pond. If I had a well, it might be different.
Elizabeth
Just lay the hose end so that the water flows through the air before it hits the water so it outgasses. You needn't be concerned about a problem with city water, even if it's one of the very few municipal water treatment plants nationwide that use chloramines. Add the dechlorinator directly into the water where the new water is being added. It's no big deal. You can actually safely add up to 10% of total pond volume of city tap water without using dechlorinator. (I never do that though.)
You might actually have more chemical problems if you did have well water, such as sulphur, or having to bypass a softener or other undesirable minerals. For outside watering into the coming big outdoor pond get a water timer/meter that hooks onto the faucet. That way it wall automatically shut off if you happen to forget. Standing in line at the grocery store is no time to remember that the koi pond might be overflowing. ( I have one on every outdoor faucet. They have saved my old forgetful behind more than once!)
http://www.grabcart.com/product/homegarden/lawn/unbeatablesalebci13374/Melnor-Industries-Flowmeter-Water-Timer-101
Everything is set up and working great! Here is a picture of the setup.
Another picture of the setup.
Close-up of my fake waterlilies!
Very cute! I will live through you and your fish this winter! Where is the picture of the boys? Is it on the other thread?
L
The fabulous five are not very photogenic (yet!), so I don't have any pictures to upload. I tried to take a few pictures last weekend, then a few today, and they just end up as blurs. Maybe next week they will sit still to let me take a few good pictures.
The koi look really good - I swear they each grew an inch over the week I've had them. Piggy looks like she grew 1 1/2 inches. I was afraid that the current from the new filtration system would scare them or that I would need to turn it off for them to eat. No way, they are doing fine. They also really like their koi castle, but it seems they prefer to just sit under the fake lily pads.
I started sketching out how I would like my outdoor pond arranged. I think we're going to have to hire someone to dig the hole and put the rocks around the edge, as well as boulders around the waterfall. I can't imagine doing all that alone and hubby will be on a 25lb maximum weight limit for at least a year because of the hernia surgery. I think I can stash away enough to pay for a professional, but if not the outdoor pond might need to wait until 2010. Since the filtration system in the basement pond could handle five times the setup I currently have it in, I think the fabulous five will be okay down there for 1 1/2 years, if need be.
We'll just have to see...if I can say "no" to new plants in 2009 (mainly $$$ hostas and miniature conifers, not counting what I already ordered and paid for...LOL) I should be able to save enough pennies to have the outdoor pond project professionally done in July 2009.
I have to say, I love that Laguna pressurized filter, it is awesome. I can't believe how QUIET the whole system is - the only sound is that of the water coming out of the filter.
Elizabeth
Pictures that are not too terrible!!!
Here is Katrina (lemon hariwake, I think). S/he looks a lot darker in this picture than in reality.
Here is Piggy (orange head, black and gray body) and Claire (solid orange body).
No pictures yet of Poppy the sanke or Little Bit, who has a grey body with black markings and a few spots of super bright hi. Poppy is looking amazing, I swear s/he is closing in on six inches, has nearly doubled in size in 2 weeks! Poppy and Little Bit are still very skittish, the other three are a lot more laid back.
So how are the fish doing now? Have things stablised a bit after the death of the two? I hope so . . . Let me know how it is going because I think about you and your fish often and feel for you having been through it myself multiple times this summer.
It is weird to look at these pictures, since I posted them before Katrina and Piggy died.
Everyone who is left seems to be doing fine now. I began feeding Medi-Koi once a day on Sunday in lieu of the Tetra food. I'm going to feed that for two weeks, as per the manufacturer's instructions. I also turned off my UV filtration because I think that was slowing down/preventing growth of the beneficial bacteria.
I don't think the UV affects the good bacteria otherwise no one with the UV on their pond would have the good bacteria in it. Snapple I believe has a UV on her pond and swears by it. Directly d-mail her and ask her about it-she really knows her stuff. There are a few others here with the uv light - someone step in and comment, please!
It's a good idea to leave the UV off for the first 24-48 hours to let the bacteria establish. After that the population your working on doesn't pass by the UV. It's the "bio-film" that establishes on surfaces inside the filter (the most important) as well as on the sides and bottom of the pond, any plant pots or ( Heaven forbid ) rocks. I leave the UV off the first couple of days every spring at start up. A "clean" pond should not mean scrubbing any surface squeaky clean. Clean means no sludge or debris where bad bacteria can grow and lethal gasses can concentrate. Many a ponder has lost the whole pond fish population , sometimes within 24 hrs., by letting sludge and debris accumulate then doing a major clean out all at once. The bacteria run amok and the escaping gasses poison the water. If you would find yourself in the position of having to do a major cleanup take the fish out first to another tank. Do the clean up plus a sizable water change, try to wait at least 24 hrs., then clean the filters before you put them back. Ponding is not magic, its water quality and maintenance, miantenance, maintenance.
I saw my neighbor do this. She lost every single fish after removing a two year accumulation of leaves and who knows what all. The gal who owns my best local pond/fish store says it's a common occurance.